ES2472990T3 - Clamp to attach to a band or rib - Google Patents

Abstract

Clip for attaching to a band or rib, in particular in a motor vehicle, having a one-piece body made of plastic having a retaining area, wherein the retaining area has a receiving slot with an opening of insertion, a first and second guide section and at least one first locking finger that is attached to the first guide section and extends from its attachment end in the direction of insertion and in the direction of the second section guide, wherein the first locking finger (18, 33) has an insert (19) forming a tab (21) projecting from the free end of the first locking finger, characterized in that the first locking finger (18) is located in an opening (46) of the first guide section (41) and is connected to the first guide section (41) by elastically deformable nets (47).

Description

Clamp to attach to a band or rib

The invention relates to a clamp for fixing to a band or a rib, in particular a component of a motor vehicle, with a one-piece body made of plastic having a retention zone, in which the zone of retention has a receiving slot with an insertion opening, a first and second guide section, and at least a first locking finger that is attached to the first guide section and extends from its fixing end in the direction of the insertion and in the direction of the second guide section.

In US 2007/0033774 A1 and US 2002/0001502 A1 a clamp according to the preamble of claim 1 is disclosed. In the clamps disclosed in these documents the locking finger is part of a metal insert that is fixed to a guide section. Therefore, due to Young's greater modulus for metal, the locking finger is quite rigid and requires relatively high assembly forces to insert a component

15 in the retention zone.

From PE 1 211 115 B1, a clamp of the specified type is known to be attached to a band, in particular a trim strip for a motor vehicle. The clip has a retaining piece with a receiving groove in which at least one hook finger is projected obliquely having a hook opening at its free end. A pressure piece designed for insertion into the receiving groove has a projection with a plurality of engaging tongues, which engage with an engagement opening of the engagement finger when the projection is inserted into the receiving groove of the retention piece. In this case, the hitch finger is designed and aligned so that it can give way to the hitch tabs during insertion of the projection into the receiving groove, but prevents the pressurized part from coming out when the hitch tabs are

25 hook into hitch openings. In order to fix it to a component, the retaining part has clamping openings that are welded by rivet to the component to which it is engaged. The prior art clamp is only suitable for pressurized parts with latch tabs or a similar notch.

It is also known, from DE 43 00 113 A1, the use of clamps made of stainless steel to fix mounted parts to a rib. The clamps are folded in a U-shape, and have a receiving groove in which clamping plates with gripping saw teeth are projected at their free ends. In this solution, the component to be attached to the rib is provided with specially designed retaining parts within which the clamps must be placed before assembly. Due to the stainless steel clamps, the prior art fixing arrangement is relatively expensive, and requires forces of

35 higher assembly compared to fasteners with plastic tweezers.

Likewise, a clamp suitable for use in motor vehicles is known from US 7,204,000 B2, which consists of a metal clamp and a molded plastic body on the clamp by an injection molding process, which forms posts that can be inserted into an opening and a flexible skirt. In this design, the metal clamp constitutes the main part of the clamp. In addition to the weight disadvantages, the cost of corrosion protection for the clamp by coating or using stainless steel is disadvantageous.

The object of the invention is to create a clamp of the initially mentioned type that reaches assembly forces

45 reduced and comparatively high retention forces, even together with bands or ribs that are not notched. Also, the clamp must be corrosion resistant and suitable for manual installation. In addition, the manufacture of the clamp must be economical.

This object is achieved by means of a clamp with the characteristics specified in claim 1. Especially advantageous embodiments of the clamp are specified in the dependent claims.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the clamp has a one-piece body made of plastic having a retention zone, in which the retention zone has a receiving slot with an insertion opening, a first and second guide section, and at least one locking finger that is attached to the first

55 guide section and extends obliquely from its fixing end in the direction of the insert and in the direction of the second guide section, in which the first locking finger has an insert forming a tongue that projects from the Free end of the first locking finger.

The clamp according to the invention combines the desirable characteristics of a plastic clamp with the desirable characteristics of a metal clamp in an especially advantageous manner. The tongue of the insert, which forms the free end of the locking finger, can be made of a harder material than the clamp, for example metal, and also provides high retention forces for the bands or ribs that are not indented, which means a high resistance to remove a band or rib inserted in the receiving slot. On the other hand, the greater elasticity of the fixing of the plastic locking finger and the favorable sliding properties of the plastic advantageously allow reduced assembly forces, so that the insertion of the bands or ribs can also be done manually. The metal content of the clamp is

very small. In this way, the weight of the clamp is extremely superior to that of a clamp made entirely of plastic, and the material costs remain reduced even when inserts made of stainless steel are used. The insert can have a simple shape and can be inserted into the clamp locking finger during molding of the clamp by placing it in the mold beforehand. The insert is embedded in the material of

5 plastic of the clamp except in the case of the tongue that is projected. Thus there are no external sharp edges that can cause damage during the manual installation of the clamp. Optimum corrosion resistance of the clamp can be achieved through the use of inserts made of corrosion-resistant metal or other corrosion-resistant material, for example, a glass fiber or carbon fiber reinforced plastic.

In the clamp according to the invention the first locking finger is located in an opening of the first guide section and is connected to the first guide section by elastically deformable networks. The resilience of the locking finger and, therefore, the assembly and retention forces, can be adapted to the applicable needs by sizing elastically deformable networks.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the elasticity of the deformable nets and their resistance to breakage can be favorably influenced by the fabrication that the insert has lateral supports, which extend through the nets and are embedded. in areas of the first guide section next to the locking finger.

According to another embodiment of the invention, it can be provided that the first and second guide sections are connected to each other by a rear section, located in front of the insertion opening, which has a stop to limit the depth of the receiving slot in the direction of insertion.

It is especially advantageous if the top of the rear section has multiple steps arranged as a ladder whose distance from the insertion opening decreases the more the distance from the

25 second guide section. The final faces of the steps opposite the second guide section form supports for the edge areas of bands or ribs of different thicknesses that come into contact with the stop and can prevent the inclination of the bands or ribs in the receiving slot, when said bands or ribs have a thickness that is less than the width of the receiving slot.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the clamp can have an anchoring zone with a keyhole-shaped fixing hole to receive a T-rivet located in the area of the support and can have, associated with the holding hole, a second Locking finger whereby the T rivet can be held in the fixing hole. By this means a stable and easy to assemble anchor of the clamp to a support part is achieved.

35 A clamp design is preferred in which two retention zones are provided that are connected to each other by means of the anchor zone located between them. In this design, the anchor zone can connect the second guide sections of the two retention zones, with the first guide sections that are connected to each other by a network on the face of the receiving slot opposite the zone Anchor.

In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, elastic arms can be placed that extend in directions that diverge and extend away from the guide sections in the rear section. By means of the elastic arms, the clamp can be guided during assembly and held, without play, against rotation around the T-rivet that engages in the anchor zone. Also, the elastic arms allow to compensate the tolerance in the position of anchorage of the clamp in the support area.

In order to anchor the insert in the first locking finger by way of engagement, according to another embodiment of the invention the insert may have an opening or recesses in the edge into which the plastic has penetrated. In addition, to simplify the manufacture of the clamp, the locking end of the locking finger may have a recess in which an edge area of the insert is exposed. By this means, the insert can be held and held in the injection mold on the tongue and on the edge area exposed in the recess, so that the insert can be easily placed in the injection mold, accurately placed in the mold of injection, and ensure against displacement during the injection molding process.

The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to exemplary embodiments shown in the drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a view of a clamp according to the invention with the first guide section oriented

towards the observer, Figure 2 is a view of the insertion side of the clamp from Figure 1, Figure 3 is a view of the clamp from Figure 1 with the second guide section oriented towards the

observer, Figure 4 is a cross-section IV-IV of the clip from Figure 1, Figure 5 is a front view of the clip from Figure 1, Figure 6 is a perspective view of the clip from Figure 1 with the first guide section oriented

65 towards the observer, Figure 7 is a cross-section VII-VII of the clamp from Figure 1, and

Figure 8 is a front view of another embodiment of a clamp according to the invention.

The clamp 1 shown in Figures 1 to 7 consists essentially of a body 2 made of plastic, which has an anchor zone 3 essentially located in the center and retention zones 4, 5 on both sides of the anchor zone 3. The retention zones 4, 5 have a U-shaped profile, which is composed of first and second parallel guide sections 41, 42 or 51, 52 and a rear section 43 or 53 that connects them. Extending between the guide sections 41, 42, 51, 52 is a receiving slot 6 with an insertion opening 7 opposite the rear portions 43, 53. The anchor zone 3 connects the second guide sections 42, 52 and delimits the receiving slot 6 and the insertion opening 7 between them. The first guide sections 41, 51 are connected by a network 8 that delimits the insertion opening 7 between the guide sections 41, 51. Between the rear sections 43, 53 extends a rib 9 which is connected to the anchoring zone 3 and which aims to reinforce the body 2. The end faces of the retention areas 4, 5, facing opposite sides, have end walls 44, 54, which join the guide sections 41, 42 or 51, 52 along a length corresponding to approximately half the depth of the receiving slot 6, and opposing a widening of the receiving slot 6. Molded

15 on the outer face of the end walls 44, 54 as an extension of the rear parts 43, 53 there are elastic arms 45 and 55, which extend outward and in the opposite direction to the guide sections 41, 42 at an angle of approximately 45� with respect to the longitudinal axis of the rear parts 43, 53. The free ends of the elastic arms 45, 55 are angled, resulting in a larger support surface. With the help of the spring arms 45, 55, the clamp 1 can be held against a component.

The anchoring zone 3 has a keyhole-shaped fixing hole 10 with a U-shaped retention section 11 and an introduction section 12. The retention section 11 has a semicircle-shaped step 13, the ends of which are n joined by introduction ramps 14. Projecting within the introduction section 12 is a second elastic locking finger 15, the end of which is located in front of the retaining section 11. When

25 a T rivet is inserted with the head first in the introduction section 12 from the rear of the anchor zone 3, the locking finger 15 can be ejected from the introduction section 12 far enough so that the head the step 13 can be reached through the introduction ramps 14 by moving the T rivet in the retaining section 11. As soon as the T rivet is completely located within the retaining section 11, the locking finger 15 slides down from the head of the rivet in T and returns to its initial position where it is placed in front of the circumferential surface of the head, thus preventing the rivet in T from sliding out of the retaining section 11.

As is evident from Figure 3, a guide channel 16 is formed that extends parallel to the insertion slot 6 at the rear of the anchor zone 3; ending said channel in introduction section 12

35 of the fixing hole 10 and narrowing towards the fixing hole 10. The guide channel 16 facilitates the entry into the fixing hole 10 of the T-rivet that is already attached to a component.

To secure a band or rib introduced into the receiving slot 6, the clamp 1 has two first locking fingers 18, with a first locking finger 18 located on the first guide section 41 or 51 in each retention zone 4, 5. Each of the locking fingers 18 is placed in an opening 46 or 56 of the corresponding guide section 41, 51, and molded as a single piece with the body 2. The guide sections 42, 52, on the opposite side to the locking fingers 18, they are provided with a main opening 48, 58 required by the molding technology. At their ends close to the insertion opening 7, the locking fingers 18 are joined to the guide sections 41, 51 by elastically deformable nets 47, 57. The spring force exerted by the fingers of

45 blocking 18 during fixing to a band can be determined by sizing the cross section of the networks 47, 57.

Each locking finger 18 contains an insert 19 made of corrosion resistant metal, preferably stainless steel. The insert 19 is in the form of a rectangular plate, which is embedded almost the entire length in the plastic of the blocking finger 18. However, the insert 19 can also have any other desired shape, although this shape must coincide with the blocking finger . Inside the locking finger 18, the insert has a hole 20, which is filled with plastic and is intended to anchor the insert 19 on the locking finger 18. The insert 19 forms a tongue 21, which projects outside the plastic material at the free end of the locking finger 18 and obliquely in the receiving groove 6. At the free end, the tongue 21 is provided with an edge

55 sharp. The tongue 21 extends in the direction of the insertion at an angle of approximately 30� towards the central plane of the receiving groove 6. The end 22 of the insert 19 opposite to the tongue 21 is exposed in the area of a recess 23. Consequently, the insert 19 can be held in this place in the injection mold to mold the clamp 1. The projecting tongue 21 forms a second support.

Figure 8 shows a modified embodiment of a clamp 31 which, apart from the characteristics specified below, corresponds to the clamp 1. The clamp 31 has a receiving groove 32 with a width such that it allows bands with a greater or lesser wall thickness. While the bands whose wall thickness corresponds to the width of the receiving slot, that is, the width of its opening, can be sustained with sufficient stability and resistance to inclination in the receiving slot 32, this does not necessarily occur in the case of the bands with a smaller wall thickness, due to the single-sided support on the tabs of the locking fingers 33. In order to improve the inclination resistance of the bands having

a relatively small wall thickness, the rear section 34 of the clamp 31 forms, inside which is oriented towards the receiving slot 32, a stop with multiple steps 35, 36 arranged as a ladder whose distance from the insertion opening 37 is proportional to its distance from the first guide section 38. Each of the end faces of the steps 35, 36 oriented towards the second guide section 39 form a support

5 for the edge areas of the bands or ribs whose wall thickness is equal to or less than the distance between the end faces of the steps 35, 36 and the second guide section 39. As a consequence of this additional support, the bands or Ribs that have a smaller wall thickness can be held in a tilt-resistant manner. The number of steps and their height can be adapted to the particular needs existing in each case with respect to the wall thickness of the bands or ribs.

Claims (12)

1. Clamp to attach to a band or rib, in particular in a motor vehicle, which has a one-piece body made of plastic that has a retention zone, in which the retention zone has a receiving slot 5 with an insertion opening, a first and second guide section and at least one first locking finger that is attached to the first guide section and extends from its fixing end in the direction of the insertion and in the direction of the second guide section, in which the first locking finger (18, 33) has an insert (19) that forms a tongue (21) projecting from the free end of the first locking finger, characterized in that the first locking finger (18) is located in an opening (46) of the first section of 10 guide (41) and is connected to the first guide section (41) by elastically deformable networks (47). 2. Clamp according to claim 1, characterized in that the insert (19) is made of a metal or a plastic reinforced with glass fibers or carbon fibers. 3. Clamp according to claim 2, characterized in that the insert (19) is made of a corrosion resistant metal. 4. Clamp according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the first and second guide sections (38, 39; 41, 42) are connected to each other by a rear section (34; 43) opposite the opening 20 insert (7) which constitutes a stop to limit the depth of the receiving slot (32; 6) in the direction of the insert. 5. Clamp according to claim 4, characterized in that the rear section (34) has a stop with multiple steps (35, 36) arranged as a ladder whose distance from the insertion opening decreases the more the distance from the second guide section (39) increases. 6. Clamp according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it has an anchor zone (3) that is designed to fit a component.

7. Clamp according to claim 6, characterized in that the anchoring zone (3) has a keyhole-shaped fixing hole (10) for receiving a T-rivet located on the component and having, associated with the hole clamping (10), a second locking finger (15) so that the T rivet is held in the fixing hole (10).

Clamp according to one of claims 6 or 7, characterized in that a guide channel (16) is formed at the rear of the anchoring zone (16) extending parallel to the insertion slot (6). ), ends at the fixing hole (10), and narrows towards the fixing hole (10).

9. Clamp according to one of claims 6 to 8, characterized by two retention zones (4, 5) that are connected to each other by the anchoring zone (3) located between them. 10. Clamp according to claim 9, characterized in that both retention zones (4, 5) have first and second guide sections (41, 42, 51, 52) and the anchor zone (3) connects the second sections of guide (42, 52), and why the first guide sections (41, 51) are connected by a network (8) on the face of the groove 45 receiver (6) opposite the anchor zone (3). 11. Clamp according to one of claims 4 to 10, characterized in that the elastic arms (45, 55) extending in directions that diverge and extend away from the guide sections (41, 42, 51, 52) They are located in the rear section (43, 53). 12. Clamp according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is molded in an injection molding process and the insert (19) is partially coated in plastic by the molding process. 13. Clamp according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the insert (19) has an opening (20) or recess in the edge into which the plastic of the body (2) has penetrated. 14. Clamp according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the insert (19) has lateral supports, which are embedded in areas of the first guide section (41, 51) adjacent to the locking finger (18) . 15. Clamp according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the locking end of the locking finger (18) has a recess (23) in which an edge region of the insert (19) opposite the tongue (21).